N has been learning to read in school, so we introduced some simple readers at home, to give him a bit more practice. To be honest, I never quite understood how readers worked until I saw how effective they were in helping N recognise simple words. We have quite a few of the Timmy & Tammy books, but I’m usually the one reading them to N, and it was only till we got the latest Timmy & Tammy titles that N started attempting to read them on his own.

Since we’ve been away from Singapore for about six months, I wasn’t sure if N would remember the Esplanade and Jurong Bird Park, but once he saw the books, he was able to identify the Esplanade on the cover immediately. We’ve only visited Jurong Bird Park once, so he can’t quite remember it, and asked if we could visit it on our next trip back to Singapore.

Timmy & Tammy at the Esplanade and Timmy & Tammy at Jurong Bird Park

N chose to read Timmy & Tammy at the Esplanade first, since he was more familiar with the Esplanade, and because it’s a Level 2 reader, it had more complex words, so I ended up reading most of it to him. He focused on the illustrations as usual, because he loves how colourful and attractive they are. I particularly liked how the music and dancing in the performances made Timmy and Tammy think of ninjas, vikings, swans, and sunsets. What a wonderful way to subtly show young readers how to appreciate theatre performances! N was most excited when he saw the page on Pip’s PLAYbox, because we had a playdate there once, and he still remembers it quite fondly. If you haven’t brought your children there before, do check it out! There are books, toys, and craft materials available, and best of all, everything is free.

Timmy & Tammy at the Esplanade

Timmy & Tammy at Jurong Bird Park is a Level 1 reader, which means it had less text, and used repetitive, simple words. I personally feel that the Level 1 readers are good for boosting a beginning reader’s confidence, and I could see how pleased N was with himself when he was able to read some of the words in this book.

The book highlighted the different reactions of Timmy and Tammy, and I thought it was good that Tammy managed to overcome her fear of the birds after watching her father and brother hold them. Although the text is short, the book manages to teach its readers that it is okay to be afraid, and how to be brave.

Timmy & Tammy at Jurong Bird Park

If your child is a beginning reader, the Timmy & Tammy books are good alternatives to the boringPeter and Jane books, which I feel lack any form of plot, and have dated pictures. I like that the books are set locally, which means we can bring our kids to the various places shown as a pre-reading/follow-up activity. For us, these Timmy & Tammy books remind us of home, and I’m planning on re-reading our previous Timmy & Tammy books with N soon.

Happy reading!

PS. If your child likes colouring, there is a colouring contest in both books that he can participate in. N normally dislikes colouring because “it’s so boring”, but to my surprise, he was very enthusiastic about colouring both pictures after I told him about the contest. Honestly, his colouring skills aren’t great, and there is plenty of room for improvement, but he tried his best, and was very worried about not being able to colour within the lines. He kept asking me if “they” would like his colouring, and told me repeatedly that he wanted to win. It broke my heart to see him so earnest about participating in this contest, especially when he asked me to take photos of him with his colouring, and reminded me to submit his entries, but I guess he needs to learn that he can’t always win.

Check out the previous Friday Flips posts HERE. I’ve also created a photo album on Facebook with some other good reads, and will be updating it whenever I come across more books that we enjoy. Do pop by for a look HERE.

Disclaimer: We received a copy of ‘Timmy & Tammy at Jurong Bird Park‘ and ‘Timmy & Tammy at the Esplanade‘ for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are, as always, our own.

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GIVEAWAY TIME

We have one copy each of ‘Timmy & Tammy at Jurong Bird Park‘ and ‘Timmy & Tammy at the Esplanade‘ to be given to two readers of Growing with the Tans! Do note that the prizes are to be collected directly from the Armour Publishing office. To participate, please complete the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and conditions apply.

Terms and Conditions:
This giveaway will end on Friday, 5th May 2017, at 2359h, and is open to Singapore residents only.
Winners will be contacted via the particulars provided when entering this giveaway, and will have 24 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be selected.
All incomplete entries will be disqualified, and all entries will be verified before the winner is announced.
Prizes are to be collected directly from the Armour Publishing office, located at Block 1003 Bukit Merah Central #02-07 Singapore 159836.
To be fair to our sponsor, please note that all fake Facebook accounts (accounts set up purely to take part in contests, with no or very few real friends), will be disqualified.
This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.